James Worthy had his say on the Lakers since Lebron James’ arrival. (Getty)
LA Lakers legend James Worthy appears to have been caught unaware he was being recorded while criticizing the Lakers’ recent front-office decisions. The Spectrum Sports analyst compared the Boston Celtics’ decisions to the Lakers’ over the past few seasons. He also appeared to mock Bronny James and referenced the Lakers’ trade decisions since the arrival of LeBron James in 2018.
Worthy kickstarted his analysis by talking about the Celtics, saying that Boston had been patient in its approach and did things the right way. He said the Lakers, via their decisions on Julius Randle, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brandon Ingram, had made a range of decisions.
In a clip making the rounds on social media, Worthy can be heard saying:
“They got the right coaches in there, and so they did it right. They took their time. They waited when we were trading Ingram, Randle, trading everything. … Pope gone! Brother up in Sacramento, Malik (Monk), gone! We were trading, like, and then we wasn’t getting anything for it. (Russell) Westbrook, gone!”
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In another clip, he appeared to throw shade at Bronny James, who the Lakers are expected to take with either their No. 17 or No. 55 picks in the upcoming NBA draft.
“Well, he’s the greatest young player ever right now. That’s what I’m gonna say,” James said when discussing what he would say about Bronny during the draft.
The Lakers legend may have a point, in that the franchise has struggled in the postseason ever since its title-winning run back in 2020.
The Lakers managed to make the 2023 Western Conference finals, where they were humbled by the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets. However, barring that, they have been bounced in the first round of the playoffs and missed the postseason in the other three seasons since 2020.
James Worthy utterly critical of the LA Lakers in the LeBron James era
LeBron James came to the LA Lakers in 2018, with three championships. However, one solitary ring in six seasons will hardly be looked back at as a positive of his otherwise illustrious career.
James’ move from the Cleveland Cavaliers by itself had led to a range of repercussions, in the sense that Julius Randle entered free agency. The player has since enjoyed a stellar time with the New York Knicks, earning three All-Star appearances.
The season after James made his way to the Lakers, the organization traded multiple young stars, such as Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, in a trade for a then-25-year-old Anthony Davis.
James Worthy also suggested that the Lakers have let go of many useful pieces without getting enough quality in return to help their aging All-Stars produce postseason success.
Of course, while LeBron James’ impact on decision-making is merely conjecture, there are a range of reasons why Worthy may be right in his comparison. This is especially true considering the kind of success Boston Celtics have enjoyed after putting faith in their young stars, in the form of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics have made moves to help their talented core in recent campaigns, which has resulted in an utterly balanced and talented roster that made little work of the 2024 NBA championship, as they dropped just three games in the entire postseason.
